US takes unilateral stance in new space policy

The US has issued a new national space policy that reflects a more aggressive and unilateral stance than the previous version issued a decade ago by former president Bill Clinton.

“There is definitely a difference in approach and mentality,” says Theresa Hitchens, director of the Center for Defense Information in Washington DC, US.

The earlier statement said US operations should be “consistent with treaty obligations”. But the new one, issued on Friday, flat-out rejects new agreements that would limit the US testing or use of military equipment in space.

The new version also uses stronger language to assert that the US can defend its spacecraft, echoing an air force push for “space superiority” made in 2004. The new policy states the US has the right “to protect its space capabilities, respond to interference, and deny, if necessary, adversaries the use of space capabilities hostile to US national interests”.

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And it seems to open the door to a new anti-satellite arms race. One idea already in development is a robotic spacecraft that could approach a satellite to check it out, then sabotage it if the US deems it to be a danger to its interests.

Another concern is plans by the US Missile Defense Agency to orbit a small fleet of rockets with heavy heads to act as kinetic-energy interceptors. Although nominally intended for missile defence, Hitchens told New Scientist they would also be effective anti-satellite weapons. So far, however, she sees no signs of “a bucketload of money going to war fighting in space”.

Other puzzles remain. The document includes a long section on which government agencies will administer space nuclear power systems, which will be used if they “safely enable or significantly enhance space exploration or operational capabilities”. The question is whether the systems are part of president George W Bush’s plans for crewed missions to the Moon and Mars, or potential power plants for some new kind of military satellite.